A mysterious crystal remained in a complex laboratory of machinery, with many computer screens that showed patterns of a strange fashion.

"They're reacting to it," the voice of one of the scientists whispered from behind glass. "Whenever it goes near technology, the technology begins to respond in a way it wouldn't usually."

"Where did the geologists find it again?" another scientist asked.

"They say it came from the outside of Earth's crust," a third voice replied.

The fourth scientist watched the computers as the neon colours flickered across the screens. The crystal shone in the light, leaving the scientist in a reverie for quite a while, until returning to reality after hearing the voices of his colleagues.

"Are there other specimen we could maybe test on?" he chipped in.

The first scientist shook his head. "If there were, they would be too far underground for any of our equipment to reach for," he murmured. "However, there have been rumours of one being found before this sample."

"Well, where is it then?"

"Look, it's just a rumour, but here's what's been said by the other Lab-boys: those business-taking geologists found a crystal just like this a few years ago. They couldn't identify the mineral, so sent it to a member of the Unified Task Force to study. Yep - we didn't get a look-in at all! The UNIT member hasn't sent back the crystal though..."

"Probably because the results were so astonishing." the second scientist suggested, and the rest nodded in agreement.

The third scientist studied the crystal through her glasses. "You don't suppose it's alive, do you?" she frowned. There was a moment of silence, then the others laughed.

"Don't be daft now," one of them chortled. "I know this is a weird occurrence, but there must be a logical explanation for this rock to be affecting the machinery, other than it being ALIVE."

"But-"

That's when the lights went out.

"Powercut?" a scientist yelled in the darkness.

"Well, I'm not surprised really, we had it coming. The amount of power that damned mineral was using..."

"Aw, crap! Now what?"

There was a loud shrieking noise of an alarm, and the room went red from the flashing of the alert bulb above. The overpowering sound of engines filled the air before there was a crashing, and sudden footsteps heading out of the room, footsteps which did not belong to any of the workers.

"Run after it!" the female assistant exclaimed, as the rest followed on behind her. They blasted open the door and paced around sharp edges and long corridors before finally cornering whatever it was they were chasing through the racket of the resonating alarm with thanks to a dead end.

A girl, with long, black locks which fell down her back like a waterfall, and eyes revealing an array of what seemed like red arithmetic through cold, blue irises, attempted to stand, a callous look upon her features.

"It can't b-" one of the male scientists began to shout.

But before he could finish, a pulsing, dark energy cloud surrounded the five them, and hurled the scientists violently towards the wall in front.

As one failed to get back up onto his feet, the girl snatched a pistol which stuck out from under his labcoat, bringing himself and his colleagues to quick deaths with a few shots of hit and miss, before leaping out of the nearby window.

The escapee tumbled, flailing at the wet grass beneath her as she landed after the high fall. Cuts from the broken glass of the window grazed her skin, unprotected by the flimsy gown she wore, involuntarily. She was covered in blood, and losing it, still, at quite an worrying rate. The girl's heart pounded in her chest, adrenaline pumping through her body rapidly in the overwhelmingness of the situation.

Back in the testing area, it was as if a bomb had dropped. Everything was a in pile of debris, destroyed to a crisp. Beside this laboratory, was an empty cryogenic chamber, the seal smashed, smoke whirling from the electrical supply. And the crystal was gone. But where? Was it also destroyed, with everything else? Had the girl took it? Or rather...

...Had the crystal took itself?

A flicker of neon colours came upon the girl's black pupils. Forcing back the water that leaked from her eyes, blinking, the strange pigments went.

As did she.